Monday, April 4, 2016

California & New York To Raise Mimimum Wage To $15

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed into law a measure Monday that will hike the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2023 — making the Golden State the second in the nation to legislate a wage hike to that level. The first came minutes earlier in New York, where Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) signed a similar piece of legislation, implementing staggered wage hikes throughout the state over the next several years.

In a pair of statements, President Obama commended both Cuomo and Brown, describing the increase as a step in the right direction.

"Since I first called on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage in 2013, 18 states and more than 40 cities and counties have acted on their own -- thanks to the strong leadership of elected officials, businesses, and workers who organized and fought so hard for the economic security families deserve," he said in the statement on New York — and echoed in nearly identical language later on California's minimum wage hike. "Now Congress needs to act to raise the federal minimum wage and expand access to paid leave for all Americans."